Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Meng Jiu’an introduces Shen Baili to his grandfather and parents as a close friend. The Meng family welcomes her warmly, and Jiu’an quickly whisks her away to rejoin their friends.
• Baili asks Jiu’an whether they knew each other before, hinting that she may be recalling something. When she notices a server’s name tag—Lin Ran—she remembers that Lin Ran is the woman who will falsely accuse Xie Zhiyu of rape in the original story. Alarmed, Baili follows her, and Jiu’an trails after Baili.
• Sang Ya approaches Xie Zhiyu with a drink, apparently trying to reconcile. He refuses and tells her he does not care about someone unrelated to him; if she reveals why their engagement ended, he will not stop her. Sang Ya apologizes and runs off.
• Xie Zhiyu suspects Sang Ya is being manipulated again. Soon afterward, Lin Ran deliberately spills wine on his suit, apparently beginning the scheme against him. He stays composed, refuses her offer to pay for cleaning, and tells her not to repeat the mistake.

Character developments

• Shen Baili shows growing awareness of the original story’s dangers and acts urgently when she recognizes Lin Ran.
• Meng Jiu’an is openly fond of Baili and eager to include her in his family life; he follows her when she rushes off.
• Xie Zhiyu remains controlled and guarded. He recognizes that the incident with Lin Ran is likely part of a plot and refuses to be provoked.
• Sang Ya appears regretful or distressed, but Xie Zhiyu sees her as a pawn and remains unmoved.

Themes and interactions

• The Meng family’s warm welcome contrasts with the tension surrounding Xie Zhiyu’s threatened reputation.
• The chapter emphasizes friendship and family affection through Jiu’an’s introductions and his family’s enthusiasm.
• Manipulation and betrayal drive the darker plot: Sang Ya may be acting under someone else’s influence, while Lin Ran’s apparent accident signals a staged attempt to implicate Xie Zhiyu.
• Key interactions include Baili and Jiu’an’s growing familiarity, Baili’s urgent pursuit of Lin Ran, Sang Ya’s failed attempt to approach Xie, and Lin Ran’s first move against him.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Ran spills red wine on Xie Zhiyu’s suit. Expecting harsh consequences, she is surprised when he accepts her sincere apology and simply goes to change. Meng Xiu tells her to clean up the wine.
• Shen Baili arrives looking for Lin Ran and spots her by the spill, recognizing her from her name tag. She believes Lin Ran is the woman who framed Xie Zhiyu.
• Baili’s thoughts reveal that the earlier plot against Xie may still be unfolding despite his broken engagement with Sang Ya. Xie can hear her thoughts and uses them to reassess the situation: he suspects Gu Yeliang may be involved, but possibly as someone else’s pawn.
• Xie reassures Baili that he will return in fifteen minutes. Worried, she asks Meng Jiu’an to accompany him to the changing room. Meng agrees before fully understanding what he is being asked to do.
• Xie collects a replacement suit from Assistant Liu and brings him along. Meng Jiu’an guides them toward the VIP Room, then is called away after giving directions.

Character developments

• Lin Ran wavers after Xie treats her leniently, questioning whether she should go through with her planned attempt to harm him.
• Shen Baili remains protective of Xie and acts cautiously, arranging for him to have company while he changes.
• Xie Zhiyu stays composed despite the incident. He increasingly trusts the information in Baili’s thoughts and shows consideration by reassuring her.
• Meng Jiu’an is eager to help Baili, though his attentiveness leaves him briefly confused about how he ended up escorting Xie.
• Assistant Liu is enthusiastic about his well-paid banquet assignment and follows Xie’s instructions dutifully.

Significant themes

• Suspicion and hidden schemes: The apparent setup may be part of a larger plot, with the true instigator still unknown.
• Protection and trust: Baili’s concern leads her to arrange help for Xie, while Xie responds with reassurance.
• Moral hesitation: Lin Ran’s reaction to Xie’s unexpected kindness complicates her willingness to harm him.

Character interactions

• Xie responds calmly to Lin Ran’s apology, while Meng Xiu directs her to clean the spill.
• Baili recognizes Lin Ran and silently warns herself to protect Xie; Xie hears her thoughts and begins investigating the possible plot.
• Baili asks Meng Jiu’an to escort Xie, and Xie thanks him before accepting Assistant Liu’s help.

Key plot points and events

• Assistant Liu accompanies Xie Zhiyu upstairs to choose a VIP room. Xie enters a room different from the one Liu meant, and Liu realizes that someone may be plotting against his boss. He imagines the consequences with melodramatic enthusiasm.
• Back in the banquet hall, Shen Baili notices Lin Ran has disappeared and waits for Xie Zhiyu to return.
• Meng Xiu introduces himself to Shen Baili and tries to chat with her. She politely declines more dessert, but they bond over a brief conversation about their unusual names.
• Worried because Xie Zhiyu has been gone for ten minutes—and Gu Yeliang and Sang Ya have also vanished—Shen Baili decides to find him. Meng Xiu offers to accompany her, citing his promise to Xie.
• Xie Zhiyu returns safely before they get far. Shen Baili checks that he is all right and resolves to stay near him for the rest of the banquet. She reveals she had set a fifteen-minute limit for his return, which he has met exactly.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Baili shows growing concern and trust toward Xie Zhiyu, whom she calls her eldest brother, while also accepting Meng Xiu’s help. Her relief at Xie’s return makes their closeness clear.
• Xie Zhiyu demonstrates protective affection for Shen Baili: he had asked Meng Xiu to look after her, apologizes for worrying her, and gently stops Meng from reaching toward her.
• Meng Xiu is sociable and persistent, drawing Shen Baili into conversation and teasing her about how anxiously she waited. He appears to understand that Xie already regards her as family.
• Assistant Liu provides comic contrast: his suspicion of a plot against Xie turns into a fantasy of defending his valuable job.

Significant themes

• Found family and growing trust: Xie Zhiyu’s care and Shen Baili’s concern suggest their step-sibling bond is becoming genuine.
• Suspense beneath social formality: The empty VIP room and missing guests hint at possible intrigue, while the banquet continues with polite conversation.
• Humor and misunderstanding: Assistant Liu’s dramatic inner monologue and Meng Xiu’s teasing lighten the tension.

• Key events: At the banquet, Shen Baili meets Meng Xiu, a friend of her eldest brother, Xie Zhiyu. After some teasing, the three sit together to rest. Xie Zhiyu lends Baili his jacket when she gets cold and keeps the conversation from becoming too familiar. Meng Xiu mentions that Lu Mingjing was called away by his father, then tells Baili a story about Zhiyu returning from overseas to help her second brother, Xie Tingsi, confront bullies. Later, as the guests mingle, a sudden scream interrupts the banquet.
• Character developments: Baili remains optimistic and determined to grow stronger through training, even though she worries that her story’s expected plot may still unfold. She considers practical self-defense tools as well as physical training. A-Deng’s energy level has not changed, leaving her uncertain about what that means. Zhiyu’s account shows a more daring past beneath his composed present-day manner. Meng Xiu’s reflections reveal that he has come to terms with his parents’ neglect, especially in comparison with Lu Mingjing’s difficult family situation.
• Character interactions: Zhiyu and Baili share a caring, familiar sibling bond, which Meng Xiu notices and teases him about. Zhiyu introduces Meng Xiu as an exaggerator and gently steers him away from asking Baili too many questions. Meng Xiu entertains Baili with stories of Zhiyu’s youth, while Baili listens eagerly.
• Themes: The chapter highlights family care and loyalty, resilience in the face of neglect or danger, and Baili’s growing self-reliance. Its light banter and cozy sibling moments give way to suspense with the unexplained scream.

Chapter Summary

• Lin Ran bursts into Old Master Meng’s birthday banquet, barefoot, bruised, and wrapped in a blanket. She says she was raped and asks for the police.
• The Meng family responds quickly: Father Meng orders them to call the police and check the surveillance footage, while Mother Meng comforts Lin Ran and helps her feel safe.
• When Lin Ran spots Xie Zhiyu among the guests, she realizes he is not the person she expected to find in the VIP room. Alarmed, she decides she must continue claiming she was raped, reasoning that she has no way to undo what happened and needs to protect herself.
• Lin Ran tells the crowd that a waiter sent her to retrieve a guest’s coat from the VIP room, where a drunk person assaulted her. She says the room was too dark for her to see the attacker. Though she feels guilty about her account, she deliberately leans into her genuine distress to make her story convincing.
• The butler reports that the corridor camera is broken, but other footage confirms Lin Ran’s movements. A young woman then verifies that her family had asked a server to retrieve her grandmother’s coat from the VIP room.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Lin Ran moves from panic to calculated resolve. She is shaken by Xie Zhiyu’s presence and chooses to maintain her victim narrative, blending real pain with deliberate performance.
• Mother Meng treats Lin Ran with tenderness and patience, while remaining committed to finding and holding the culprit accountable.
• Father Meng takes practical steps to investigate and focuses on verifying the reason Lin Ran entered the room.
• Xie Zhiyu’s appearance unsettles Lin Ran and raises questions about who was actually in the VIP room.

Significant Themes

• Truth and deception: Lin Ran’s account is supported in part by evidence, but her motives and certainty about the attacker are complicated.
• Vulnerability and self-preservation: Lin Ran feels she must present herself as a victim to protect herself.
• Compassion alongside judgment: Mother Meng comforts Lin Ran without abandoning the need for an investigation.

Key plot points and events

• After the incident involving Lin Ran, Father Meng accepts responsibility on behalf of the Meng family and orders staff to preserve surveillance footage and other evidence, and to cooperate with the police.
• Police arrive promptly. Lin Ran, now calmer but determined, insists on accompanying them upstairs to identify the man involved.
• Shen Baili realizes the incident resembles the original story’s plot, but the person implicated has changed. She suspects Lin Ran is part of a scheme aimed at Eldest Brother and wonders whether Gu Yeliang’s failed plan has been replaced by another.
• Xie Zhiyu reassures Shen Baili and stays close to protect her. Shen Wan, Xie Liuzheng, and Xie Tingsi join them; the family comforts Baili, while Tingsi angrily condemns the suspected attacker.
• The police bring a disheveled man downstairs. He denies raping Lin Ran and claims she framed him. The police say they will investigate, leaving the facts unresolved.

Character developments

• Father Meng responds responsibly and decisively, acknowledging the family’s duty to cooperate and seek accountability.
• Lin Ran appears shaken but resolute, choosing to identify the man herself.
• Shen Baili is frightened and suspicious, recognizing how the event diverges from the story she knows.
• Xie Zhiyu acts protectively toward Baili and reassures her that the truth will emerge.
• Shen Wan and the others show strong concern for Baili; Xie Tingsi expresses his anger openly but is calmed by Zhiyu.

Significant themes

• Accountability and justice: The Meng family and police emphasize evidence, cooperation, and investigation.
• Appearance versus truth: The crowd assumes the man is guilty, but he denies the accusation, and the case remains unsettled.
• Protection and family solidarity: Baili is surrounded and comforted by relatives and Zhiyu.
• Fate and changing narratives: Baili recognizes a familiar plot unfolding with altered participants, suggesting that expected events can shift.

Character interactions

• Father Meng addresses the police and directs the Meng family’s response; Lin Ran insists on participating in the identification.
• Zhiyu shields Baili and steadies her, while Shen Wan, Xie Liuzheng, and Tingsi gather around to comfort her.
• Tingsi’s anger at the suspected crime contrasts with Zhiyu’s measured confidence in the investigation.
• The accused man challenges Lin Ran’s account, setting up the central unresolved question of who is telling the truth.

Key plot points and events

• Gu Yeliang’s plan to frame Xie Zhiyu goes disastrously wrong. Drunk and affected by a hidden aphrodisiac, Gu has sex with waitress Lin Ran, who calls the police and accuses him of rape.
• Gu tries to present himself as composed and insists he did not force Lin Ran, hoping the incident will be treated as consensual. The police keep Lin away from him, preventing him from coordinating with her.
• Lin Ran publicly insists that Gu raped her and says her injuries are evidence.
• Sang Ya suddenly arrives and demands to know whether Gu slept with Lin Ran, accusing him of betraying her. Her outburst turns the crowd’s attention from the alleged assault to Gu’s relationship with her.
• Guests recognize Sang Ya as Xie Zhiyu’s former fiancée. Her appearance with Gu prompts speculation about why her engagement ended and whether the Xie and Sang families made a deal to protect her.

Character developments and interactions

• Gu Yeliang tries to maintain a respectable image, but his carefully prepared scheme collapses. He realizes he failed to anticipate both the plan’s reversal and Sang Ya’s unpredictable intervention.
• Lin Ran directly challenges Gu’s denial, insisting that she was assaulted.
• Sang Ya appears distressed and impulsive. Though she already suspects the truth, she demands to hear Gu confirm it himself and publicly confronts him.
• Gu and Sang Ya are revealed to be romantically involved, though Gu had kept her out of his plan because he considered her too easily swayed and liable to disrupt it.
• The guests openly judge Gu and Sang Ya, while the Xie family’s presence leads them to connect Sang Ya’s broken engagement with possible family negotiations.

Significant themes

• Schemes backfiring: Gu’s attempt to manipulate events leaves him trapped in the situation he engineered.
• Public image and reputation: Gu’s concern is not only the police investigation but also the damage the scandal will do to his standing.
• Impulsiveness and control: Gu’s elaborate planning is undone by factors he cannot manage, especially Sang Ya’s emotional reaction.
• Public judgment and social status: The crowd quickly forms opinions, and Sang Ya’s former engagement makes her private choices a matter of public scrutiny.

Key plot points and events

• Sang Ya confronts Gu Yeliang, insisting he answer whether he slept with Lin Ran. Gu claims he was framed and denies doing anything illegal, expecting Sang Ya to defend him.
• Lin Ran protests that Gu assaulted her and points to bruises on her neck as evidence. Feeling ignored and humiliated, she slaps both Gu and Sang Ya, then breaks down crying.
• Gu instinctively shields Sang Ya when she is struck, but Sang Ya notices a lipstick mark and other incriminating dirt on his clothing. This evidence, together with his guilty behavior and Lin Ran’s accusation, shatters her denial.
• Sang Ya rejects Gu, calls him filthy, and attacks him in anger, demanding to know how he could betray her after claiming to love her.

Character developments

• Sang Ya shifts from desperate, focused questioning to painful recognition that Gu has betrayed her, then erupts in anger and disgust.
• Gu Yeliang tries to portray himself as an innocent victim and use Sang Ya’s devotion to protect himself. His reflexive concern for her briefly seems loving, but cannot repair her trust.
• Lin Ran refuses to let her assault be treated as a side issue in Sang Ya and Gu’s relationship. Her anger and tears expose how neglected and demeaned she feels.
• The onlookers and police are initially caught off guard by Sang Ya’s questioning and hesitate when Lin Ran lashes out, before separating the three.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and shattered trust: Sang Ya’s belief in Gu collapses when his words conflict with visible evidence.
• Victimhood and privilege: Lin Ran feels that the privileged people around her disregard her suffering and treat it as secondary.
• Self-deception: Sang Ya’s insistence on hearing a direct answer gives way once she can no longer ignore the signs of Gu’s guilt.
• Love versus accountability: Gu appeals to his love for Sang Ya, but that does not address Lin Ran’s accusation or the evidence against him.

Character interactions

• Sang Ya demands honesty from Gu, while he pleads that he was set up and tries to draw her sympathy.
• Lin Ran challenges them both, asserting her victimhood and striking them in anger.
• Gu protects Sang Ya from the fall, but she recoils from his touch after seeing the stain on his clothes and confronts him for betraying her.

Plot points and events

• Sang Ya attacks Gu Yeliang after believing he betrayed her. He insists he was set up and is innocent, but she is too furious to listen.
• Police officers restrain Sang Ya. Before they can remove her, she kicks Gu in the face, breaking his nose, then vomits on him.
• Lin Ran watches in shock and is pleased to see Gu badly beaten.
• Sang Fang arrives and calms Sang Ya by telling her that the “filthy thing” has already been destroyed. Sang Ya is taken to hospital rather than kept overnight at the station.
• Gu is also hospitalized, with Lin Ran accompanying him so evidence can be collected. Sang Ya is scheduled to see a psychiatrist.
• Elder Sang learns what happened and, after nearly needing emergency care himself, immediately asks about Sang Ya.

Character developments

• Sang Ya’s love for Gu turns instantly into rage when she believes he has been unfaithful. Her violence is not simply drunkenness: she remains aware of what is happening but loses control while venting her anguish.
• Sang Fang demonstrates familiarity with Sang Ya’s episodes, managing to calm her and prevent her from hurting herself.
• Lin Ran’s view of Sang Ya changes; she had misjudged her and now sees her as an ally.

Significant themes

• Love turning to hatred: Sang Ya’s intense love makes perceived betrayal especially devastating.
• Trauma and mental health: The episode is linked to Sang Ya’s past trauma and an extreme aversion to infidelity; her family had thought she had recovered.
• Trust and betrayal: Gu’s earlier vow never to betray Sang Ya contrasts sharply with her conviction that he has broken it.

Character interactions

• Sang Ya rejects Gu’s explanations and attacks him; his remembered promise underscores the contrast between their past devotion and the present crisis.
• Police struggle to restrain Sang Ya and later allow Sang Fang to approach once they learn they are cousins.
• Sang Fang reassures and steadies Sang Ya, while the Sang family remains concerned and stays awake through the night.

Chapter 36 Summary

• Key events: Sang Zhi resents Sang Ya and blames Elder Sang for protecting her, while the family heads to the hospital. Gu Yeliang wakes under police guard and learns he is in serious trouble. Shen Baili reflects on how Lin Ran, Gu Yeliang, and Sang Ya each contributed to the disaster, yet innocent people were caught in the fallout. Later, Sang Ya dreams of a childhood conversation with her parents about true love, then wakes in the hospital to the smell of disinfectant.
• Character developments: Shen Baili feels sickened by the cruelty Xie Zhiyu endured in the original story and recognizes how deeply the plot might have harmed him. Xie Zhiyu remains outwardly calm and admits nothing about his own past, but responds tenderly when Shen Baili asks to hug him. Xie Tingsi notices that she is trying to comfort his brother. Sang Ya’s dream recalls a time when she was innocent and believed love meant mutual respect, care, trust, and loyalty.
• Character interactions: Sang Zhi clashes with Elder Sang over his favoritism toward Sang Ya. Shen Baili seeks comfort from Xie Zhiyu, who embraces and reassures her; her mother, Shen Wan, also comforts her, while Xie Tingsi shields her from onlookers and suggests they go home together. Sang Ya’s dream centers on her affectionate parents teaching her about reciprocal love.
• Themes: The chapter emphasizes personal responsibility and the consequences of selfish choices, while contrasting the characters’ present-day cruelty with Sang Ya’s childhood ideals. It also suggests that fate can change: Xie Zhiyu is not taken away alone, and the family leaves together, marking a shift in the expected story.

Key plot points and events

• Sang Ya awakens in the hospital devastated by Gu Yeliang’s betrayal. She asks her grandfather what love is and why Gu could betray her despite her own trust and loyalty.
• Old Master Sang tells her plainly that Gu does not love her and that love should not cause such pain. He urges her to study abroad and find a life beyond the scandal and heartbreak.
• Sang Ya asks to see Gu once more, intent on holding him to his promise that she could kill him if he ever betrayed her. Overcome by nausea, she coughs up blood and passes out before she can act.
• Meanwhile, Shen Baili sleeps peacefully at the Xie home. A-Deng notices the Energy Bar has mysteriously refilled to 30%, though no new story information has unlocked.
• Shen Baili connects the increase to recent changes in the Xie family’s fortunes: her eldest brother reclaimed a stolen project and ended his betrothal to Sang Ya; her aunt divorced her exploitative husband; and the villains at the Meng family banquet faced consequences instead of framing her brother.
• She suspects A-Deng’s bugs may have caused the change and encourages it to keep checking them for a way to refill the Energy Bar.

Character developments

• Sang Ya is beginning to face the truth about Gu, but remains emotionally shattered and longs for love like her parents shared. Her wish for one final encounter suggests she is not ready to let go.
• Old Master Sang prioritizes Sang Ya’s health over blame. He offers her honest, painful counsel and encourages her to leave for a fresh start.
• Shen Baili is alert to the larger implications of the family’s improved circumstances and approaches the unexplained Energy Bar increase with cautious curiosity.
• A-Deng is excited by the refill but puzzled that it came without any new story information.

Significant themes

• Love, betrayal, and self-worth: Sang Ya’s faith in mutual trust and loyalty collapses after Gu’s betrayal.
• Recovery and new beginnings: Her grandfather hopes distance and new experiences will help her heal.
• Fate and agency: The Xie family’s story seems to be diverging from its tragic original course, though the cause remains unknown.
• Hope amid uncertainty: The unexplained Energy Bar increase suggests progress, even without clear answers.

Character interactions

• Sang Ya confides her grief and questions about love to Old Master Sang, who responds with tenderness but refuses to preserve her illusions about Gu.
• Old Master Sang proposes studying abroad; Sang Ya instead asks for one last meeting with Gu.
• A-Deng eagerly shares the Energy Bar news with Shen Baili after she wakes. Shen Baili reassures A-Deng and urges it to continue investigating its bugs.

Key events

• Despite the upheaval of the previous night, Shen Baili goes to school as usual.
• Lu Mingqian apologizes for not stopping Tang Tang from giving Baili a hard time. Baili reassures him that she stood up for herself and playfully confirms that he qualifies as a friend.
• Baili shares her breakfast with Lu Mingqian, but Ji Qi swoops in and eats most of it, burning his tongue. Meng Jiu’an joins them, and Baili asks whether he has learned anything about the previous night.
• Gu Yeliang wakes in the hospital in considerable pain, with a broken nose and a mild concussion. He learns that Sang Ya is reportedly fine, though she has not visited him.
• When questioned by Officer Fang, Gu Yeliang asks for water and then refuses to give a statement until his lawyer arrives. Once his assistant and lawyer appear, he begins describing the events, saying he felt dizzy and asked his assistant to take him to the VIP room. Officer Fang asks what caused the dizziness and whether anything seemed unusual there.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Baili remains composed and independent after the previous night, handling school and social exchanges normally.
• Lu Mingqian shows his loyalty to Baili: he emphasizes that his concern was for her, not Tang Tang. Baili reads this as friendship, while his earnestness hints at deeper feelings.
• Ji Qi brings chaotic, comic energy to the morning by stealing Baili’s food; Meng Jiu’an is cheerful and becomes Baili’s source of information about last night.
• Gu Yeliang presents himself as polite and controlled despite his injuries, but carefully probes the officer for information before invoking his right to wait for legal counsel. His absence of visitors, especially Sang Ya, is noted.

Significant themes

• Friendship and loyalty: Lu Mingqian’s apology and concern contrast with the trouble surrounding Tang Tang.
• Everyday life amid crisis: Baili’s ordinary school morning continues even after a major upheaval.
• Control and uncertainty: Gu Yeliang tries to manage what he reveals while the investigation begins piecing together the previous night’s events.

Plot points and events

• Gu Yeliang tells police his version of the encounter with Lin Ran: he claims she initiated sex, that he was drugged and unable to resist, and that he did not assault her. He says he cannot explain her injuries.
• His account contradicts Lin Ran’s, but he carefully avoids difficult questions and offers explanations for the physical evidence. Police initially lack grounds to hold him.
• As he is about to leave, officers arrive with crucial evidence and a witness, arrest him, and station guards at his hospital room because of his injuries.
• Gu realizes his scheme—originally designed to frame Xie Zhiyu—has turned against him. He suspects his assistant failed to stop the plan after the target changed.
• He asks his lawyer to bring his girlfriend, Sang Ya, to visit, intending to enlist her help. She refuses. Gu assumes her family, especially Old Master Sang, is keeping her away.

Character developments and interactions

• Gu Yeliang remains calculating and self-assured, but the arrest exposes his loss of control. He blames his assistant internally, hides his panic, and misreads Sang Ya’s refusal as evidence that she still loves him but is being prevented from visiting.
• The assistant appears confused and may have mishandled crucial parts of Gu’s plan, though the extent of his role is not yet clear.
• The lawyer maintains professional composure while privately judging Gu’s priorities and taking some satisfaction in his distress.
• Sang Ya does not appear directly, but her refusal to visit signals a break—or at least a firm distance—from Gu.
• Police officers treat Gu’s account skeptically enough to arrest him once new evidence emerges.

Significant themes

• A scheme backfiring: Gu’s attempt to frame someone else may have implicated him instead.
• Control and miscalculation: His confidence in his planning, assistant, and relationship with Sang Ya proves misplaced.
• Self-deception: Gu interprets Sang Ya’s past anger as proof of love and initially refuses to accept her rejection.
• Appearance versus truth: Gu’s polished, strategic testimony clashes with the emerging evidence and witness.

Chapter 38 Summary

Key plot points and events

• Gu Yeliang accepts that he is forbidden to contact Sang Ya, but asks his lawyer to pass her another message because he believes he needs her.
• Before Sang Ya can visit him in the hospital, Gu Yeliang is tried for rape. Lin Ran testifies against him, and the evidence and witnesses presented support her accusation.
• The court finds Gu Yeliang guilty and sentences him to five years and three months in prison. His lawyer promises to appeal.
• Gu Yi watches the verdict with satisfaction, seeing Gu Yeliang’s conviction as proof of his contempt for him as an illegitimate son.
• After Gu Yeliang is imprisoned, Sang Ya visits. He insists he was framed by Gu Yi and asks her to seek out someone who can supposedly reveal the truth.
• Shen Baili learns of the trial’s outcome. He considers Gu Yeliang deserving of punishment and views Lin Ran as pitiable but not blameless.

Character developments and interactions

• Gu Yeliang remains focused on regaining Sang Ya’s support. Though convicted and imprisoned, he presents himself as devoted and falsely accused, using her lingering concern to enlist her help.
• Sang Ya visits despite their strained relationship. Her tenderness briefly returns, but she questions whether she can believe Gu Yeliang; her tears reassure him that she still cares.
• Lin Ran feels relief after testifying, but her account reveals that she accepted payment and chose to have sex with Gu Yeliang as part of the scheme. The experience was deeply distressing, leaving her with lasting disgust and shame.
• Gu Yi celebrates Gu Yeliang’s downfall and expresses prejudice against him because of his illegitimate birth.
• Shen Baili takes a morally measured view: Gu Yeliang deserves his sentence, while Lin Ran merits sympathy without being considered innocent.

Significant themes

• Manipulation and trust: Gu Yeliang uses Sang Ya’s attachment to draw her back into his plans.
• Justice and complicity: The case punishes Gu Yeliang, but Lin Ran’s paid participation complicates the idea of a simple victim-and-villain narrative.
• Prejudice and resentment: Gu Yi’s satisfaction is tied not only to the verdict but to his contempt for Gu Yeliang’s origins.
• Emotional and bodily trauma: Lin Ran’s choice to participate does not spare her from the experience’s lasting psychological harm.

Plot points and events

• Shen Baili worries that Lin Ran will escape punishment and considers sending the police an anonymous email, but is unsure whether doing so could undermine the case against Gu Yeliang.
• Before Shen decides what to do, Sang Ya helps Gu Yeliang’s lawyer produce recordings, videos, and messages showing that Lin Ran fabricated an assault allegation to extort him. Police arrest Lin Ran publicly at school, just as she is celebrating an architectural lecture, an autograph from her idol, and acceptance to an overseas exchange program.
• Lin Ran is sentenced to three years in prison for extortion and expelled. The school publicizes the case and uses it in campus fraud-prevention activities; the scandal also trends online.
• Gu Yeliang leaves prison, where he had been injured in a fight, and begins restoring his reputation. Public sympathy grows, and his company’s stock starts to recover.
• Sang Ya meets him outside prison. He leans on her instinct to rescue vulnerable men, but their relationship remains poisoned by his infidelity and her inability to forgive it.
• At the Gu family residence, Gu Yeliang is met with hostility rather than a welcome. He argues with his father, Gu Zheng, accusing him of favoring Gu Yi and resenting that he was brought into the family.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Baili wrestles with the difference between wanting justice and knowing how to pursue it; A-Deng offers quiet companionship but cannot advise her.
• Lin Ran falls from the height of her anticipated success to public disgrace and imprisonment. Her lies are exposed, and she recognizes the consequences too late.
• Sang Ya actively helps expose Lin Ran, then reunites with Gu Yeliang. Though she is vulnerable to his appeals for sympathy, her resentment over his unfaithfulness remains.
• Gu Yeliang capitalizes on public sympathy and Sang Ya’s compassion, while also confronting the rejection he feels within his family.
• Gu Zheng responds to Gu Yeliang with insults and violence, reinforcing the family divide; Gu Yeliang retaliates with accusations about his father’s favoritism toward Gu Yi.

Significant themes

• Accountability and consequences: Lin Ran’s apparent escape ends in conviction, while the school turns her case into a warning.
• Reputation and public judgment: The online crowd quickly shifts between suspicion, sympathy, and gossip as the evidence changes.
• Manipulation and dependency: Gu Yeliang understands how to draw on Sang Ya’s rescuing instinct, even as their love is shaped by betrayal.
• Family rejection and belonging: Gu Yeliang’s return exposes his sense of being an outsider in the family and his longing for a father’s acceptance.

Key plot points and events

• Gu Yeliang’s injured shoulder prompts Gu Zheng to soften toward him. Gu Zheng offers him the Dragon Bay villa and declares the conflict with Gu Yi settled, while warning Gu Yi to stay quiet.
• Gu Yeliang thanks his father, but once alone, privately vows to bring the family under his control.
• A photograph of Sang Ya and Gu Yeliang outside the prison goes viral, making them appear deeply in love. Sang Ya sees the post as a cruel joke: it gives her the public relationship she once wanted, but through Gu Yeliang’s manipulation.
• Gu Yeliang admits he arranged for the paparazzi to photograph them. He asks Sang Ya to make their relationship public; she agrees, privately intending to end things on her own terms and make him face consequences.
• Gu Yeliang uses social-media promotion to turn the story into a romantic publicity campaign that improves his public image and benefits Gu Technology.
• Shen Baili reflects on Sang Ya’s continued devotion to Gu Yeliang and discusses love and self-worth with her mother, Shen Wan.
• After months of upheaval in Gu Yeliang’s legal case, Baili notices the Energy Bar remains at 30%, with no new chapters unlocked. She realizes that key events in Sang Ya and Gu Yeliang’s original storyline—including their public relationship—are still unfolding, despite changes elsewhere.

Character developments and interactions

• Gu Yeliang presents himself as remorseful and affectionate, but his private ambition and calculated use of Sang Ya reveal his manipulative nature.
• Gu Zheng shows renewed sympathy for Yeliang and favors him, while reprimanding Gu Yi.
• Sang Ya outwardly accepts Yeliang’s proposal, but her emotional detachment and resolve to punish him suggest she is preparing to reclaim control.
• Shen Baili worries that Sang Ya is sacrificing her future for a man, yet recognizes that the story may still be following its original course.
• Shen Wan comforts Baili and affirms that her daughter’s safety and happiness matter most; Baili responds that she would sacrifice anything for her mother.

Significant themes

• Love versus manipulation: A seemingly romantic public gesture is actually engineered for personal and corporate gain.
• Self-worth and sacrifice: Shen Wan urges Baili to value herself, contrasting that lesson with Sang Ya’s fixation on Yeliang.
• Appearance versus reality: Yeliang’s warm public image conceals cold ambition, while the viral photograph disguises the truth of the relationship.
• Fate and changing storylines: Baili questions whether altering some events is enough to change the novel’s central plot.

Key plot points and events

• After Gu Yeliang and Sang Ya announce their relationship, a trending report reveals that Sang Ya reported him for falsifying company accounts and evading more than 100 million yuan in taxes. Police arrest Gu Yeliang again, this time with strong evidence.
• Before his arrest, Gu Yeliang plans to take Sang Ya on a date and persuade her to join him on a lucrative variety show. He sees publicity and business opportunities as ways to revive Gu Technology, which he regards as his life’s work.
• At the Gu home, Gu Yi—still grounded after trying to frame Gu Yeliang—taunts his half-brother and says he intends to pick up his full sister when she returns from abroad.
• Gu Zheng tells Gu Yeliang to treat Sang Ya well, but his approval is largely strategic: he hopes the marriage would give Gu Yeliang money and influence, while sharpening the rivalry between his sons.
• Officer Fang arrives with a warrant based on the tax-evasion report. Gu Yeliang is taken away while Gu Yi gleefully predicts he will go to prison. Gu Zheng orders cooperation but shows little concern.

Character developments

• Gu Yeliang remains ambitious and self-assured. He treats his recent release as a chance to rebuild his company and exploit his public profile, and he maintains a polite façade even when arrested.
• Gu Yi openly despises Gu Yeliang and continues to undermine him verbally. His comments also reveal his resentment of their father and his insistence on distinguishing his full sister from his half-brother.
• Gu Zheng is exposed as calculating rather than genuinely paternal: he regards both sons as pieces in a contest and sees Sang Ya as a potential asset.
• Sang Ya, though absent from the scene, is revealed to have reported Gu Yeliang, sharply contradicting the public image of a devoted girlfriend.

Significant themes

• Public image versus reality: The couple’s romantic announcement is quickly eclipsed by Sang Ya’s report, while Gu Yeliang’s courteous manner masks serious alleged crimes.
• Family rivalry and manipulation: Gu Zheng encourages competition between his sons instead of fostering real affection.
• Justice and accountability: Gu Yeliang’s renewed arrest suggests that status and confidence cannot shield him from evidence and legal consequences.

Character interactions

• Gu Yi needles Gu Yeliang and openly supports the police investigation; Gu Yeliang ignores the insults and answers him with composure.
• Gu Zheng offers Gu Yeliang advice about Sang Ya while privately viewing their relationship as a way to strengthen his son and challenge Gu Yi.
• Officer Fang remains professional, informing Gu Yeliang of the investigation and asking Gu Yi whether he has evidence.
• As Gu Yeliang is taken away, Gu Yi celebrates, while Gu Zheng withdraws without offering comfort.

Key plot points and events

• Gu Yeliang learns that Sang Ya reported him for tax evasion and supplied the police with unusually accurate company ledgers. He is shocked and insists that someone—possibly Xie Zhiyu—must have manipulated her.
• His lawyers warn that the evidence puts him in serious legal trouble. Gu Yeliang tries to shift responsibility onto the finance department, claiming he merely reviewed the accounts and offering to accept limited liability.
• During a detention-center meeting, Gu Yeliang pleads with Sang Ya not to leave him, assuming his familiar displays of vulnerability will soften her. Sang Ya instead tells him that she reported him for falsifying the accounts and wants to break up.
• The chapter reveals how Sang Ya reached this decision: after discovering the truth about Gu Yeliang, she endured intense grief, insomnia, nightmares, and weight loss. She had once hoped their love could survive his actions, but realized he cared most about himself and his career.
• Sang Ya spent days pretending all was well while collecting evidence. She used her opportunity to hand Gu Technology’s ledgers to the police, determined to ruin what mattered most to him.

Character developments

• Gu Yeliang remains calculating despite the crisis, trying to redirect blame and protect himself. His shock at Sang Ya’s betrayal gives way to disbelief and an attempt to manipulate her emotionally.
• Sang Ya moves from devoted, trusting lover to determined adversary. Her heartbreak has hardened into a desire for revenge, and she takes deliberate action rather than remaining trapped in her former blind devotion.
• The lawyers recognize the seriousness of the evidence and try to warn Gu Yeliang, but he remains confident in his ability to manage the fallout.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and disillusionment: Sang Ya’s faith in both Gu Yeliang and their love collapses when she sees who he really is.
• Love turning to vengeance: The devotion that once led Sang Ya to do anything for Gu Yeliang is redirected into a resolve to destroy his reputation and career.
• Self-preservation and responsibility: Gu Yeliang attempts to distance himself from the company’s wrongdoing, revealing that protecting himself matters more than accepting blame.
• The cost of obsession: Sang Ya’s fixation leaves her deeply damaged, even as she gains the resolve to act against him.

Character interactions

• Gu Yeliang and his lawyers: They discuss the strength of the evidence and his legal exposure; Gu Yeliang brushes off their concerns and assigns responsibility to his assistant and the finance department.
• Gu Yeliang and Sang Ya: He begs her to stay and assumes she has been pressured, but she directly identifies herself as the whistleblower. His emotional tactics no longer work.
• Sang Ya and Gu Yeliang’s betrayal: Though much of their relationship is recalled through Sang Ya’s reflections, the chapter shows that her final break is driven by discovering his selfishness and the extent of his deception.

Key plot points and events

• Sang Ya confronts Gu Yeliang over his betrayal. When he cannot remember the Silky Starling—her favorite animal and a symbol of lifelong devotion—she gives up her remaining hope of reconciliation and vows to make him pay.
• Gu Yeliang is held by a guard after trying to follow her. Sang Ya’s report of his tax evasion leads to a company associate taking the blame. Gu Yeliang pays 250 million in fines and back taxes, spends a week in detention, then is released with his family’s help.
• Sang Ya gives Xie Zhiyu evidence that Gu Yeliang and Lin Ran plotted to frame him, and asks him to help bring down Gu Technology. Xie already knows about the plot but refuses to join her revenge plan, advises her to heed her grandfather, and ends their contact.
• Sang Ya turns instead to Gu Yue for help. As she leaves their meeting, Gu Yeliang catches up with her and insists they need to talk. She says their relationship is over; he declares that he never agreed to let her go.

Character developments and interactions

• Sang Ya moves from hurt and lingering hope to resolve and strategic action. She makes clear that Gu Yeliang’s betrayal—not jealousy over Xie Zhiyu—is why she is leaving, and she is willing to enlist allies to pursue revenge.
• Gu Yeliang admits that he used Sang Ya but claims to love her. His confusion over the Silky Starling exposes how little he understood or remembered about what mattered to her. Despite her rejection, he refuses to accept the breakup.
• Xie Zhiyu remains composed and self-possessed. Though Sang Ya reveals that he was nearly framed and that Gu Yi intervened, he declines to help her retaliate and politely cuts ties.
• Sang Ya and Gu Yue meet to discuss assistance against Gu Yeliang, while Sang Ya and Gu Yeliang have a final, tense confrontation over their separation.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and lost trust: Gu Yeliang’s actions, and his failure to remember Sang Ya’s symbol of devotion, extinguish her hope.
• Love versus possession: He claims to love her but treats her decision to leave as something he can overrule.
• Agency and revenge: Sang Ya takes control by gathering information, exposing wrongdoing, and seeking allies.
• Boundaries and self-respect: Xie Zhiyu refuses to be drawn into Sang Ya’s plans, while Sang Ya asserts that Gu Yeliang cannot betray her without consequences.

Key plot points and events

• Gu Yeliang confronts Sang Ya, insisting that he is the only person who truly cares about her. Sang Ya rejects his claims and reveals that she split Gu Technology’s core secrets between Gu Yue and Gu Yi, and sent other evidence to the police.
• During their argument, Sang Ya tries to escape and accidentally falls on an escalator, pulling Gu Yeliang down with her. Both suffer concussions and are taken to hospital.
• The leaked secrets and scandal surrounding Gu Yeliang devastate Gu Technology, which soon goes bankrupt. Gu Yeliang’s injured hand is permanently damaged.
• Sang Ya tells him she will not forgive him and considers their relationship finished. Gu Yeliang attacks her by biting her shoulder, exposing the cruelty behind his formerly gentle manner. Police intervene.
• Gu Yeliang is convicted of money laundering, illegal fundraising, and related crimes, and receives a five-year, four-month sentence. Evidence from Sang Ya also helps police dismantle a large fraud operation and rescue over two hundred people.
• Although Gu Yeliang is imprisoned, Sang Ya remains afraid of him and plans to leave the country. At the airport, police detain her for stealing trade secrets.

Character developments

• Sang Ya rejects Gu Yeliang decisively, using information and evidence to retaliate against him and bring his crimes to light. Yet her victory does not erase her fear, and her own actions lead to her arrest.
• Gu Yeliang reveals that his devotion was manipulative and possessive. After losing his company and physical ability, he responds with violence and threatens to keep Sang Ya bound to him.
• Gu Yue and Gu Yi are implicated in Sang Ya’s decision to distribute Gu Technology’s secrets, though their roles in the confrontation remain indirect.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and revenge: Sang Ya turns against the man who deceived her, and the conflict destroys both his company and their relationship.
• Possession disguised as love: Gu Yeliang’s claims of devotion give way to coercion and violence, revealing the danger beneath his affectionate persona.
• Consequences and accountability: The evidence Sang Ya provides brings Gu Yeliang and a wider criminal operation to justice, while her own alleged theft of trade secrets carries legal consequences.
• Fear after escape: Even with Gu Yeliang in custody, Sang Ya is unable to feel secure.

Character interactions

• Sang Ya and Gu Yeliang clash over whether his feelings were genuine; she accuses him of deception, while he insists he alone cares for her.
• Their argument becomes physical, culminating in their fall and, later, Gu Yeliang’s attack in the hospital.
• Police officers repeatedly intervene—first after the hospital attack, then to arrest Gu Yeliang, and finally to detain Sang Ya at the airport.